BAKU, Oct. 15 - State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) will decide in 2008 whether to participate in the Odessa-Brody-Plock-Gdansk oil pipeline project, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev told journalists on Monday.

KIEV, Oct. 16 - The State Property Fund has cancelled the tender for a 99.52% stake in the Odessa port-side plant, one of the country's oldest chemical enterprises, a spokesman for the Property Fund told Interfax.

KIEV, Oct. 16 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny does not expect any negative consequences to occur as a result of a possible reduction in its rating by Fitch Ratings, Naftogaz spokesman Oleksiy Fedorov told Interfax.

KIEV, Oct. 17 - The publication of Naftogaz Ukrayiny's financial report for 2006 has been delayed because the company's auditors are waiting for Parliament to make amendments to the law on the state budget for 2007, Naftogaz told Interfax.

KIEV, Oct. 16 ??“ The Antimonopoly Committee has allowed Finland's Sanitec Europe Oy, part of the European multi-brand group Sanitec Corporation that designs, manufactures and markets bathroom ceramics, to obtain over 50% of the votes in the board of directors in Slavuta Budfarfor China Works in Khmelnytsky region.

KIEV, Oct. 16 ??“ Kiev??™s Raiffeisen Bank Aval plans to increase its share of Ukraine??™s retail service market to 20% by 2010, Raiffeisen International Bank-Holding CEO Herbert Stepic told Interfax-Ukraine.

BRUSSELS, Oct. 17 ??“ Ukraine entered the top-three countries in Southeastern Europe and the CIS in terms of inflows of foreign direct investment in 2005, which amounted to $7.8 billion, according to an annual United Nations world investment report.

The report, entitled "FDI from Developing and Transition Economies: Implications for Development in 2005" was drawn up by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

KIEV, Oct. 17 ??“ Russia's Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko have ordered the authorized organizations of their countries to hold talks and sign agreements on the supply of electricity from Ukraine to Russia, taking into account technical and seasonal opportunities for 2006 and 2007.

KIEV, Oct. 17 ??“ Three bidders, including the world??™s two biggest steel producers, Mittal Steel and Arcelor, placed $200 million deposits each with the State Property Fund seeking to bid for Kryvorizhstal, the SPF said Monday.

KEMEROVO, Oct. 17 ??“ Kuzbass Fuel Company (Kemerovo, Russia) jointly with its Ukrainian partner has won a tender for the supply of coal to Ladyzhynska and Vuhlehirska combined heat power plants, Ivan Gepting, the company's deputy director general, told Interfax.